Election Guide: Indiana State Senate

Editor's Note: In the excerpted questions listed below, please note that candidates are all hyperlinked on their first reference. That link will take you to the candidate's complete questionnaire responses.

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State Rep. Mary Ann Sullivan, D, faces incumbent GOP State Sen. Brent Waltz for State Senate District 36, which radiates out from Downtown.

Candidates from several local districts took the time to offer their perspectives to NUVO, including: Michael Adkins, John Barnes, Gena Martinez, Jean Breaux and Mark Waterfill.

NUVO: If you could
provide one element of constructive criticism about the 2012 General Assembly,
what would it be?

State Rep. Mary Ann Sullivan, D, running for State Senate District 36: My constructive criticism would be that leadership at all
levels should have had more confidence in their mainstream members to work
together. We could have accomplished so much more.

Incumbent State Sen. Brent Waltz, R, District 36: I would have preferred a compromise
regarding the passage of right to work legislation, which was very disruptive
and would offer very little, if any, benefit to encouraging businesses to
locate in Indiana.

Tim DeLaney, D, running for State Senate District 30.: Its focus on divisive
culture war issues. We are just emerging from the worst recession in
recent memory. Instead of focusing on putting Hoosiers back to work,
legislators took on a Tea Party agenda focused on attacking women's access to
health care, teaching creationism as science and engaging in so much silliness
that legislators even attacked the Girl Scouts. This kind of extremism
has no place in our government, embarrasses the state and gets in the way of
real progress.

Fred Peterson, L, running for State Senate District 30:The term, 'minority leader' is a
misnomer when the only leadership displayed is to leave town.

John Barnes, D, running in District 32: Members of the legislature can't claim to be 'fiscal conservatives' and then not show concern when the state loses
track of more than half a billion dollars of revenue. We need a
transparent, independent accounting system so that we actually know how much
money we have to work with. If you 'find' money that was 'lost,' restore
the funding to the original programs that you cut. Don't invent new ways
to spend that money.

Gena Martinez, L, running in District 33: The 2012 General Assembly seemed to be plagued by an air
of complacency and a lackluster attitude towards bipartisanship. In addition to
their inability to bridge the gap between the two major parties, they wasted
taxpayer monies chasing pieces of legislation that served to single out and
harm select portions of Indiana's residents and add absolutely no value to the
quality of life for anyone living in Indiana. More specifically, House Joint
Resolution 6 has already cost Hoosiers over $78,000 to pursue (more than double
the average cost for a single piece of legislation), and if it is successful,
its only contribution to our state will be: a.) to
concrete an already existing law (same-sex marriage is already denied by the
state of Indiana), b.) diminish protections (including
domestic violence provisions) for all non-married Hoosiers, c.) it will (and has already) discourage many employers from
moving to Indiana in an effort to protect their LGBT employees and to remain
competitive while they attempt to attract talent.

Incumbent State Sen. Breaux, D, District 34: Focus on the issues that matter, not socially divisive
issues that do not address real issues such as healthcare and Indiana's
response to the Affordable Care Act, education-meaningful expansion of full-day
Kindergarten, pre-school and funding for traditional public urban schools and
suburban schools. Indiana's high school dropout rate is a big
problem. We need to diversify our energy resources in the state, and we
need to offer a real plan to reduce unplanned pregnancies and family planning
to reduce STDs and too many very young people becoming parents.

Mark Waterfill, D, District 35.: The Indiana General
Assembly is far too partisan. Right to work
should never have been forced upon us, especially the way it was done.
The state has no interest in criminalizing contracts between private
parties. We need a strong, balanced voice. We need progress not more
partisanship.

Michael Adkins, D, District 28: Only one? While
right to work is an obvious choice. I would have to say my biggest
criticism is how close the General Assembly came to allowing the governor to
pull Hoosiers out of Medicare.

NUVO: How you do think
an extended era of solid Republican control over the General Assembly will
influence legislators' work at the Statehouse? How will bipartisanship and
checks and balances function in this environment?

Sullivan: I believe that there are plenty of good ideas that can
garner bipartisan support, if individual legislators are willing to assert
themselves within their caucus and to their leadership. My sense is that many
legislators are tired of the extreme partisanship and lack of collegiality at
the Statehouse.

Until
a less dysfunctional relationship is established, the role of the minority will
be to react to the overreach of the majority who are testing the extremes of
their ideology. Unfortunately, the extremists are driving an agenda that those
in control seem unable to manage.

Waltz: There is no question that both the House
and Senate will remain firmly in the hands of a Republican majority. I
have always tried to focus on representing my community, not my political
party. It is my hope that this new era will enable legislators to focus
serving their constituents rather than scoring cheap political points at the
expense of the opposing political party.

Delaney: We've seen the unfortunate extremism
that has been the hallmark of debate in the General Assembly in recent
years. Instead of engaging in such debates, I want to focus on issues
that have bipartisan appeal such as early childhood education and improving our
transit infrastructure. I don't care if a good idea comes from a Democrat
or a Republican. I only care if it moves our state forward.

Peterson: As the term 'bi' in bipartisanship
implies, two leaders are required. Unfortunately, quality leadership has been
lacking on the Democratic side as evidenced by the 'we're not in the majority
so we'll leave town' mentality during the last session.

Schneider: Compared to a 14-year era of Democrat control, Republicans
have only been in the majority for two years, yet we have accomplished much
good. Look at our state's fiscal condition compared to surrounding states. In
the Senate where Republicans have a strong majority, 98 percent of the bills
passed last year received bipartisan support, and 57 percent were unanimous. We
work together in the Senate to accomplish many positive things with both
Democrat and Republican support.

Barnes: There will be even more of a focus on
social issues and less interest in tackling the tough economic issues that we
face. There won't be much of any bipartisanship in such a climate. Instead, we
will continue to see the 'political antics' that result with one-party
rule.

Martinez: If the current state of affairs in the Indiana General
Assembly is any indicator of the effects of an extended era of solid Republican
control, Hoosiers need to reconsider our political priorities. We have
legislation being rushed through the system with countless unknown earmarks and
additional considerations that some legislators admit they aren't even able to
read, let alone weigh and consider. At a recent debate, I heard a
Republican incumbent admit that often times Senators' names are added as
co-authors to bills they have never even read! If there is a shred of truth to
this (and I suspect there is), it is a shameful state of affairs.

Breaux: While the legislature often divides
along rural vs. urban issues, there are fundamental differences in how the two
parties address our stateÕs priorities such as healthcare, education, tax
policy and the environment. Democrats in the Senate will to be organized
and vocal.

Waterfill: We need more fiscal
watchdogs at the Statehouse. One-party control has resulted in the
administration 'losing' over a half a billion dollars, cutting education
funding and then not returning that money, and boondoggles such as the Rockport
coal-gas plant and the IURC (Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission) and DCS
(Department of Child Services) scandals.

Atkins: I know Republicans who are concerned about having full GOP
dominance in the legislature. The GOP has become so emboldened they broke
the governor's promise to labor and passed RTW. The very fact they tried
to opt Indiana out of Medicare because of radical ideology is scary. A greater
dominance by the GOP will embolden the Tea Party and make bipartisanship all
but impossible.

NUVO: If you could ask
one question of your opponent, what would it be?

Sullivan: Do you really believe that your rigid
and extreme ideology is helpful to, or representative of, a modern,
internationally competitive city?

Waltz: Does Mary Ann Sullivan believe that she would be more
effective in representing our community as one of 13 Democrats out the 50
members of the state Senate and if 'yes' how she would do so?

Delaney: I would ask if he regrets authoring bills to defund
Planned Parenthood, teach creationism in science class, make abortion a Class C
felony, allowing guns in playgrounds and libraries and if he regrets endorsing
Richard Mourdock in the primary over the respected
Senator (Richard) Lugar.

Peterson:The largest cash payments unabashedly accepted by the
other two candidates came from corporations or unions. My question to both
is, "Why is the individual's political voice not most important?"

Schneider:Why are you so critical of so many of
the bills that received bipartisan support? Are you upset with the
moderates of your own party and wish they would be more rigid and partisan?

Barnes:Why do you spend so much time on social
issues and so little time on the vital economic issues of jobs and economic
development that would really help this district?

Martinez:Let me begin by stating honestly that I
have the utmost respect for state Senator (Greg) Taylor. ... If I am elected to
office it means I ran a good campaign and my district stood behind me (while we
watched pigs fly overhead and snuggled close to Satan to keep warm). My only
criticism may be that he wasn't aggressive enough. To that end: Senator
Taylor, why did you not present more legislation with the intent to proactively
protect Hoosiers in your district as opposed to only responding appropriately
to defend them from the predatory bills of other legislators?

Breaux: I would ask Scott Schneider why he is so
opposed to Planned Parenthood in Indiana. I would ask him if he is aware
that PP provides valuable services for low- and moderate-income men and women
in the form of breast exams, cancer screenings, and remedies for contracted
STDs. These conditions, when detected early, can reduce the onset of
serious illness and the spread of disease while at the same time saving our
state significant health care costs.

Waterfill: Why did you co-author
SB 423, 2009, a boondoggle requiring the state to buy gas from a for-profit
developer for 30 years, and then lie about the fact that you co-authored that
bill?

Adkins: My opponent is a very nice guy. Of all the questions
I could ask, No. 1 would be how can you accept so many special interest
campaign contributions and say you will not be beholden to any special
interest?

NUVO: What question do
you wish we'd asked and how would you answer it?

Delaney: Why am I running? I am running because we have been traditionally represented in District 30 by bipartisan
senators who focused on the real priorities facing our state. That
changed in 2009 when the Tea Party picked the replacement for our senator, who
stepped down mid-term.

Peterson:The Democratic candidate wants to keep
lowering the mandatory age for children to be sent to public school. How
does he determine the age and is there a lower limit? The Republican
wants creationism taught in public schools. Would he also mandate that
all other religious accounts of the creation be included or only the one in
which he believes.

Sullivan: What is the best part of what you do?

The
absolute best part of representing my community is working with stakeholder
groups to solve problems and create new opportunities. It is intensely
satisfying to identify a problem, bring everyone together who is impacted by
that problem, and collaboratively find a solution. Equally fulfilling is
envisioning a great new direction and developing a compelling plan to get
there.

Barnes: When people vote
for me, they will be voting for someone who will work for them. They will
be voting for a candidate, not a party. I am a moderate Democrat and a
fiscal conservative. I believe in reaching across the aisle to get things
done by working with members of the other party. Indiana is supposed to
have a "part-time, citizen legislature." I don't think the founders
envisioned 30-year incumbents who vote to give themselves expensive perks like
health care and pensions. Let's get back to prioritizing service to our
constituents.

Martinez: I do wish NUVO would ask all of the
candidates this election round how they intend to set aside party obligations
and tend to the needs and requests of the citizens they are sworn to represent.
Political parties are powerful tools that serve to win elections, but people
are called to legislate, not parties. Voters should bear this in mind
when selecting candidates, not parties.

Waterfill: Are you a fiscal
conservative? Yes. As a small business owner I will work to keep property taxes
low. I pledge to: Oppose wasteful boondoggles such as the Rockport coal-gas
plant, co-authored by my opponent; [and to] end
pensions for legislators.

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We wish ancient incumbents GOP Patricia Miller and R. Michael Young valued the city's more-storied alternative media to participate in its efforts to inform and enlighten the citizenry about how government affects their lives and why it is important to vote. The senators, however, chose not to respond. Illustrator Wayne Bertsch attempted to catch their essence in ink.

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Indiana State Senate Districts in Marion County. (Courtesy of the City of Indianapolis / GIS)

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About The Author

Bio:Rebecca Townsend served as NUVO news editor from May 2011 to August 2014. During a 20-plus year career, her bylines have appeared in publications ranging from Indiana AgriNews to the Wall Street Journal. Her undergraduate degree is in sociology and anthropology from Earlham College, and her master's is in journalism...Rebecca Townsend served as NUVO news editor from May 2011 to August 2014. During a 20-plus year career, her bylines have appeared in publications ranging from Indiana AgriNews to the Wall Street Journal. Her undergraduate degree is in sociology and anthropology from Earlham College, and her master's is in journalism from the University of Missouri.more